by Jules Cern

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Solidity of Matter an illusion to Physical Scientists

Right here one might say, "Wait a minute! If you're trying to tell me that matter is nothing, I can't accept that! For instance, suppose I were sitting at a table. I could pound it with my fist. That would be solid matter. The chair I would be sitting in would be solid matter. The food at the table would be matter. Even my physical body is matter. And you're telling me that it is all nothing?"

To help pave the way to the answer to this question, let us first consider the statement of a leading physical scientist, Dr. Warren Weaver, who has served as Chairman of the Board of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. It appears that he anticipated the question just presented. He has written in Can a Scientist Believe in God?, "A table, viewed with the precise tools of the atomic physicist, is a shadowy, swirling set of electric charges" (in other words, atomic particles), "these electrical charges themselves being vague and elusive." And Dr. Weaver continues, "So viewed, the table loses its large-scale illusion of solidity."

Dr. Weaver proceeds to explain that all material objects, including the physical body, regardless of size and appearance of solidity, are but swirling sets of electric charges, vague and elusive; thereby losing their large-scale illusion of solidity. This shows that, even according to physical science, we might think we are inviting a friend to have a seat at the table, but in atomic language, we are literally saying, "Pull up that swirling set of electric charges, and seat your large-scale illusion of solidity."

Let us make one point very clear. Christian Science does not belittle physical scientists. It has utmost respect, admiration, and appreciation for the intelligence, integrity, and achievements of physical scientists. Christian Science encourages the advancement of human thought and invention, because human progress indicates the possibility of throwing off all the limitations based on human concepts.

Since physical science affirms that visible matter is a "Large-scale illusion" of the material senses, why should this exempt atoms, or invisible matter, from being an illusion of the material senses? Matter, visible or invisible, is nothing but an illusion, or false thought, that there is something besides God, infinite Spirit. Therefore, matter is seen as a quality of mentality, instead of as a condition of mortality.

Christian Science shows that matter, reduced to its basic element, is not some "vague and elusive" phase of mortality, but a delusive phase of mortal mentality. In other words, the thought that there is mortality is all there is to there being mortality. The thought that creation is atomic is all there is to its being atomic. The thought that there is something besides God is all there is to there being something besides God, infinite Spirit. In Unity of Good, Mrs. Eddy writes, "A molecule, as matter, is not formed by Spirit; for Spirit is spiritual consciousness alone." She also states, "The material atom is an outlined falsity of consciousness, which can gather additional evidence of consciousness and life only as it adds lie to lie." And she continues, "From the beginning this lie was the false witness against the fact that Spirit is All, beside which there is no other existence."

Thus we see that mortality, visible or invisible, atomic or anatomic, is only a false thought that there is something or someone besides or unlike God, infinite Spirit. This false thought that there is mortality, Christian Science calls "mortal mind." Therefore, mortal mind is simply a false thought that there is anyone or anything mortal. Hence, matter in any form is but mortal thought. And mortal thought cannot be traced; it can only be erased. Mrs. Eddy makes this very clear in Unity of Good, where she writes, "Reduced to its proper denomination, matter is mortal mind; yet, strictly speaking, there is no mortal mind, for Mind is immortal, and is not matter, but Spirit."

Physical Science has reduced matter to the invisible, called atoms. Whereas Christian Science reduces matter to the impossible, called nothingness.

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